Following Ofqual's announcement in December 2011, a number of changes will be made to the current GCSE qualification. The changes were proposed in the Government's White Paper The Importance of Teaching, published in November 2010
This page has been updated with subject specific changes and timelines. For more details, please see below.
We can confirm that the key changes are:
The timelines for these changes are as follows.
For subject specific timelines please see below.
The changes will affect the following areas of the GCSEs.
In line with Government policy, all GCSE English subject examinations in England will become linear rather than modular. For example, students will no longer be able to sit unit 1 in January, and unit 3 in June. All units must take place in one exam series at the end of the course.
In English and English Language, there are no changes to existing specification content other than the requirement for assessment to be linear.
We will be unable to offer an assessment opportunity in January 2014, or any subsequent January for English Language. We will move this to the November series, so the qualification will be available in the June and November series moving forward. English Literature will only be available in June.
All maths exams are to move to terminal assessment in England. We will continue to offer our three unit specification, alongside our linear, two paper specification. The reasons for this are:
November 2013 will be the last opportunity to take the unitised specification in a modular fashion. This could be as a re-sit or first entry in the subject.
We are unable to offer an assessment opportunity in January 2014, or any subsequent January. We will move this to the November series, so the qualification will be available in June and November moving forward.
All science exams are to become linear in England. From summer 2014, this means that 100% of the assessment must take place in a single examination series. This change does have some benefits; more time can be taken to teach the subject and there is more flexibility as to when any part of the course is taught, as long as students are prepared for the summer examination series.
We will be unable to offer an assessment opportunity in January 2014, or any subsequent January for science.
View our science specific timelines:
GCSE examinations are to become linear in England. From summer 2014, this means that 100% of the assessment must take place in a single examination series. Both of the AQA History specifications, Specification A (4040) and Specification B (4045) are affected by this change. This requirement extends to both Full Course and Short Course.
This means that we will be unable to offer an assessment opportunity in GCSE History B in January 2014, or any subsequent January - instead exams will only be offered in the summer series (GCSE History A is already only offered in the summer series).
Sitting all exams at the end of a GCSE course will reduce the disruption to teaching arising from modular exams and give more time for learning. Both of AQA's history specifications have just two exam units, so students should find preparation for these exams manageable. In both specifications the content for unit 1 is discrete from the content for unit 2. This makes it easy for departments to share the delivery of the course and for students to understand what content is examined on the two papers.
Language exams are to become linear in England. From summer 2014, this means that 100% of the assessment must take place in a single examination series. For students starting a two year course in September 2012, all units have to be taken at the end of the course in a linear fashion and students may take each unit only once before certification. The format of the specification is unchanged; there are four units, Listening and Reading remain at 20% each and Controlled Assessment for Speaking and Writing is still 30%.
As part of the Government changes, any students who take a short course will not be able to carry forward unit results in order to aggregate to a full course. This is a change from the current rules.
As you may be aware, linear assessment and the separate assessment of Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) are now required in Geography GCSE specifications. Our current specifications (4030 and 4035) have been submitted to Ofqual to incorporate these changes.
Ofqual is also undertaking a full accreditation review of all Geography specifications and specimen assessment materials.
We're currently in discussions with Ofqual and as soon as we understand how the changes will affect you, we will let you know. We will also be providing a full range of teaching resources and materials.
To receive the latest information on these changes, please register for updates. If you would like to talk to us about any aspect of GCSE Reform please contact the Subject Department.
The changes will affect GCSEs offered in England.
The Welsh Government has not yet decided whether the linear requirement will apply in Wales.
We have contacted all of our schools and colleges about the changes. For science, we will continue to offer a modular option. For English and maths, we are still considering the viability of continuing to offer a modular specification.
If your school or college would be interested in following an AQA modular specification in maths, please email us. We will make a final decision when we have more information.
We have implemented these changes in our specifications and they have been sent to Ofqual for reaccreditation. In most cases this has involved minor changes in wording to clarify the change to 100% terminal assessment.
In a few cases, there may be wider changes in assessment structures. In all cases, we will keep you informed at every stage. We will work closely with you to ensure that any changes are understood and do not adversely affect you and your students.